March 26, 2020

By Kerrie Kelly, Kerrie Kelly Design Lab

With mandatory lockdown on the calendar, our team definitely wanted to create safe ways to continue to engage with our valued clients – e-meetings, Zoom calls and online information shares – but we also wanted to fill the gaps while working at home and during nights and weekends. Here are a few of our most rewarding activities that we chose to dip into.

Get Familiar with Your Fitness App

For weeks, my husband and I have wanted to tap into Peloton’s “Crush Your Core” program. Since the program is four weeks long, it seemed intimidating as it would be another thing to “gear up” for, but no. We found that the program is only five minutes,  five days a week for  four weeks. How doable is that? With a workout regime already set, including biking, meditation and stretching, this extra five-minute effort was easy to add. And when you can’t go to the gym or work out with your pals, the Peloton community feels supportive. Competing with friends and followers, virtually high-fiving accomplishments and earning badges for solid efforts feels good when you must remain at home. If you are on the app, let’s connect at KKCali; blowing off steam in a physical way keeps all of the chaos in perspective.

Organize Your Photos and Files

One of the easiest and most rewarding things I have accomplished on this lockdown was organizing my Dropbox, the place where all of our photos and files reside. While we were pretty organized personally and professionally, there were duplicate photos, bad photos, misplaced files and unnecessary documents. Our Dropbox just needed a good scrub. With that we created 10 “umbrella files” where every document can find a home; no loose virtual papers from quick saves and also nothing floating on the desktop. Since we can search by using keywords, finding items is easy. Over time if we think we have misplaced something, we can simply search for it and file appropriately. Also, anything we have deleted can be recovered over the next 30 days if necessary. It was fun to reminisce about our travels and family photos along the way while getting organized at the same time.

Review Your Recipes

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I love to whip up a recipe or two for Sunday night supper. Often those recipes come from my mom and grandma. Other times, I am inspired by Giada and Ina Garten. While we have been home for breakfast, lunch and dinner over the past few days, we have enjoyed roasting tomatoes for Giada’s roasted caprese salad, making our signature house cookies from the Joy of Cooking, putting together avocado toast using Trader Joe’s “Everything but the Bagel” seasoning and roasting a chicken Barefoot Contessa style. The food we make at home is so satisfying, and the light focus it takes to follow a recipe (or make one by heart) takes our mind off the world for just a moment – not to mention benefits us in an elevated, healthy way.

Update Your Social Media, Website & Media Kits

My good friend Kachet Life encouraged her followers to take this new-found time to write blogs and update websites and social media platforms. She is so right –if you are going to sit on the couch and “veg,” go ahead and scroll your own online presence and see how up to date (or out of date) it truly is. You may find out like I did, “Wow, I have accomplished a couple of things that should be included in my bio but haven’t had the time or mind space to do so.”

Check your “about” page on your website, your bio on LinkedIn and even refresh who you are following on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook depending on your current interests. And if you are really feeling ambitious, go through your contacts and clean them up – I mean, who is “Larry,” no last name, company or address anyway? 

Write a Thank You Note

We all are reeling during this uncertain time. What’s next? How long will this last? What am I to expect of my career and community in the coming days? No one truly knows. Just when you make a plan, it blows up 10 minutes later. With that, take a minute to sit down and write a thank you note. To anyone. There is never an expiration date on writing a thank you note to lift someone’s spirits and share your gratitude. It can be hand written (okay, maybe don’t lick the seal) or even a text or email. Just share the love when people may be feeling lonely, isolated or just uneasy. Thank a nurse, your favorite restaurant, the mail carrier or the nice person online changing your vacation plans. Your thoughtfulness will be appreciated. And don’t you worry, we are going to get through this. Stay well, everyone.